Kitchen Call: Getting to the good gravy

Linda Bassett

Friday

Nov 19, 2010 at 12:01 AMNov 19, 2010 at 6:19 PM

These women –– supreme rulers of the kitchen on every other occasion –– turned into a bunch of crazies when making simple turkey gravy. A real recipe, in three easy steps, follows. I’ve included two cranberry sauce recipes as well.

Every Thanksgiving as I was growing up, my brothers, sisters and cousins and I would gleefully witness an annual attack of kitchen lunacy. It began shortly after my mother pulled a gorgeous golden turkey from of the oven. She, my grandmother, and several aunts would fly into frenzy. These women –– supreme rulers of the kitchen on every other occasion –– turned into a bunch of crazies when making simple turkey gravy.

They consulted cookbooks, splattering the pages with butter and hot fat as they argued over techniques. They sifted flour, swirled the saucepan where a turkey neck simmered and scraped bits from the roasting pan freed of the holiday bird.

They’d debate which of the many wooden spoons would prevent lumps and whether to add stock or water. The first try was often a failure. Some years, the second try turned out pale and floury. And, on the rare occasions that a third try didn’t turn out so well, we ate our turkey without gravy.

These women, who could turn out sauces without recipes — marinara, Bolognese, arrabiata, amatriciana — for a simple bowl of pasta or a towering lasagna, would then immediately, inevitably and invariably forget the turkey gravy recipe once the holiday was over.

Fast forward to present day: no naked turkey.

For the moment, I’m assuming you are either a first-timer or, like my relatives, have forgotten how to make gravy since last year. Right now, before the holiday, stock up on pre-made turkey stock. (With 29 people at the table, I don’t do homemade. I buy the one in a box, not the cubes or cans.) Just before the turkey is finished, heat this stock and have it waiting on the stovetop.

When the turkey is fully cooked, take it out of the roasting pan. Place it on a platter or cutting board and make a foil tent to cover. Let the bird rest for 20 to 30 minutes. This redistributes the juices. At the bottom of the roasting pan, there will be drippings. Pour them out into a large measuring cup or bowl, scraping all the little cooked bits of meat as well. Now skim off about 1/2 cup of the fat into a saucepan and warm it over medium heat. (Not medium-high. Medium.)

Add about 6 tablespoons of “fluffed” flour. (Just shake up the canister before measuring out the flour to help prevent lumps.) Whisk (with a real whisk, not a spoon) the flour into the drippings. Cook while continuing to whisk for a full minute or two. Do not walk away. Do not have a conversation with a guest. Concentrate on whisking. The mixture will turn a pale golden color.

Now, remember that hot stock? Add this to the flour mixture, gradually, one cup at a time. Grab that guest who keeps talking: make him or her pour for you because you need to keep whisking. With each addition, the gravy will thicken until it coats the back of a spoon and turns a deep golden color. Taste. It will need salt to taste right.

Now what about all those brown bits? Process the gravy in a countertop blender or food processor or use a stick blender in the pan if you are comfortable with one. The bits will color the gravy deeply. Some cooks strain through a fine-mesh sieve, but I think it takes too long. Note: be sure to cool the gravy first so it does not splatter dangerously. Chef’s trick: rinse out the saucepan before reheating.

A real recipe, in three easy steps, follows. I’ve included two cranberry sauce recipes as well.

Turkey Pan Gravy

Pan juices from roasted turkey (with fat)

2 1/2 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 to 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

Salt, pepper, to taste

1. Pour pan juices and scrape browned bits from bottom of roasting pan into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and save about 1/3 of a cup.

3. Gradually whisk in 4 cups of turkey stock and onion powder if using, simmering gently until gravy coats a spoon, about 10 minutes. If needed, process gravy in a blender, processor or use a stick blender. Taste, season and reheat before serving.

Make about 4 ½ cups.

Cranberry-Ginger Chutney

This will keep for 3 days, tightly covered in the refrigerator. Best done a day ahead.

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup apple cider

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

1. Bring the sugar, cider and vinegar to a boil together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring for about 15 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper; cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes 3 cups.

Old-Fashioned Back-of-the-Bag Cranberry Relish

Best if done a day or two in advance.

12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1 medium orange, not peeled

1 cup granulated white sugar

1. Wash cranberries and orange under running water for at least 20 seconds. Do not peel the orange; cut it into 2-inch chunks.

2. Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse on and off until chopped, but not liquefied (it should have a rough texture) and ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

3. Transfer to a non-aluminum container. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: Last week's turkey time chart mixed up the times for stuffed and un-stuffed turkeys. The correct chart appears below.

TURKEY WEIGHTS AND WAITS

TURKEY WEIGHT

TIME-UNSTUFFED

TIME-STUFFED

10 pounds

1 3/4 hours

2 hours

12 pounds

2 hours

2 1/2 hours

15 pounds

2 1/2 hours

3 hours

20 pounds

3 1/4 hours

4 hours

22 pounds

3 3/4 hours

4 1/2 hours

25 pounds

4 1/4 hours

5 hours

Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com.

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